The Truth About Conflict
Conflict is an inevitable part of management.
Conflict itself is not bad; rather it is how you manage conflict that is important. If you manage conflict appropriately, it can bring needed change and innovation to your organization. If you manage it inappropriately, conflict can paralyze your organization and result in lost productivity, organizational turnover, and lawsuits.
Fortunately, as our understanding of management has increased so too has our understanding of effective strategies for conflict management. Outdated principles about conflict resolution — such as collaboration is always the best strategy and managers should not avoid conflict — are known to be flawed strategies.
Savvy managers know that their are sometimes when collaboration is not the best strategy. When Rome is burning, this is a bad time to have a committee meeting on how to put out the fires! Savvy managers also know that there are some times when avoiding conflict is the right strategy. When you’re surrounded by lions, the best option is to find a safe retreat. It’s better to an live another day than take on an unwise fight and die before your time.
Many a career has been ruined by the manager who did not know how to pick his or her battles!
The Thomas–Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument identifies 5 conflict resolution modes. This assessment instrument shows that no particular mode for responding to conflict is better than another. The right conflict resolution strategy is the one that best fits the situation and individuals you are facing.
Organizational conflict itself is not bad; rather it is how you handle it that is important. Share on X
This article is accurate to the best of the author’s knowledge.
Content is for informational or educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional advice in business, management, legal, or human resource matters.
